Get Out

Ashley went back to work right after she was discharged. She walked towards the elevator with quick steps, almost running. Her heels clicked with every step she took. Ashley smiled and nodded politely to the people around who greeted as she rushed to the closing elevator.

"Wait.", she said out loud. The elevator doors slowly reopened. "Thank you.", she said, stepping inside.

Ashley stood side by side with a man. She was too busy checking her phone to notice the man staring at her. She then heard him clear his throat. Just as Ashley was about to raise her head, she received a notification leaving her to ignore the man.

"Excuse me…your button." Ashley's attention then left her phone to the direction in which the man was pointing in. She then looked down to see two buttons opened with her cleavage exposed. With quick movements, she hurriedly closed the two buttons before looking up at the man. "Thank-."

Ashley then realized who the person next to her was.

"John?" She thought she hadn't seen clearly. Jonathan didn't look okay. Ashley concluded that it might have been as a result of his fight with Nathan.

Ashley stared at the bruises which had turned purple at the corners of his mouth and around his eyes. A sudden impulse then overcame her. She trailed her fingers over the purple marks. "It must have hurt." There was pain and regret in her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

Jonathan gave her a smile. "It's nothing, Ash. And besides, it's not your fault." Ashley then retracted her hand and lowered her head, missing the flash of loss in Jonathan's eyes. "It is."

"If it's anyone's fault, it's Mr. Li's. He hit me without a word." Ashley sighed and looked up at him. "That's Nathan jumping into conclusions for you.", she said with gritted teeth.

"It's alright, Ash. Let's talk about you." Jonathan put on a serious face. "You're okay now, right?"

Ashley smiled. "As fit as a fiddle." Jonathan smiled at her antics. "I tried to see you at the hospital, but Mr. Li wouldn't let me. He threatened me to never get close to you or else I would never see the light of day again."

Ashley's face turned grim, anger flashing in her eyes. "He said that?" Jonathan scratched his head with an awkward look. "Not necessarily. But he looked as though he was threatening me."

Ashley breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't bother about him. He's a wacko." She whispered the last part, causing Jonathan to laugh.

The elevator doors then opened. "Good morning, Miss Scott." The three people opposite Ashley and Jonathan greeted once they saw the two. "Good morning, Jonathan." The man nodded in reply.

"Good morning. How are all of you today?", Ashley spoke, getting out of the elevator. "We're great, Miss Scott." They answered in harmony before getting into the elevator. Ashley waved as the elevator doors closed.

"How are you so stiff with outsiders but so carefree around me?", Ashley asked, walking with Jonathan by her side.

"Perhaps it's because you're my first and only friend.", Jonathan replied. The young woman nodded politely at someone's greeting before speaking. "I guess you're right. But you know, you don't always have to be stiff. I like you better when you're lively."

"Well, thanks for the compliment, I guess.", he said, pushing the door open for Ashley. "But I prefer not to be like that around strangers."

Ashley stepped into her office and walked behind the desk, placing her bag down. She then sat on the swivel chair and rested her elbow on the desk, her cheek cupped in her hand as she stared at Jonathan. "I personally like…no, love your lively little self."

Jonathan's chest reverberated with low laughter as he shut the door and made his way to the seat opposite hers. "I'm glad you do."

Ashley stretched, leaning back on the seat. "I thought I was late but it turns out I'm pretty early." Jonathan scrunched his brows in confusion. "Late for what?"

 "Don't we have a meeting at eight, with the executives of Joshua Entertainment about them turning my book into a movie?"

"That meeting?" Jonathan looked at her with hesitance all over his face before speaking, "I wasn't around but I heard they had already had that meeting."

Ashley had just taken out her laptop from her bag and placed it on the table. She stared at Jonathan with her brows raised. "What?'

The man sighed. "I heard the C.E.O decided to go on with the meeting without you." His eyes were locked on her face, trying to decipher her expression." I don't think we'll be cooperating with Joshua entertainment. Linda told me they walked out in fury after the C.E.O demanded an exorbitant amount for the book's copyright."

Jonathan had known Ashley since he was a little boy of eight years old. He had been to her house many times and had seen Leticia many times. And right now, it was undeniable that Ashley resembled her mother. And it was especially so in her furious state.

The young woman was expressionless but one could see the rage swirling in those gray eyes of hers.

Ashley got out of the seat and walked out the door before Jonathan could stop her. Her eyes were filled with unconcealed fury and coldness as she walked towards the door that had 'C.E.O Pierson' written on it in large fonts.

Ashley pushed the door open with no gentleness whatsoever. What greeted her was the scene of two men on the couch, one on top of the other. They were both shirtless and involved in an intense kiss.

The young woman stared at the two impassively. She then walked into the office, Jonathan still at the door with a bunch of employees behind him, staring at the scene in shock.

The man below turned his head to see the opened door and hit his partner who had also turned to stare in Ashley's direction.

None knew how it happened, but the next thing they saw was the three men in the corner of the room and pieces of shattered glass on the floor.

"Get out."